Below you’ll find breaking news as well as reports, updates on our campaigns, and victories.
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Report
Nowhere else to go: Forced returns of Somali refugees from Dadaab Refugee Camp, Kenya
Kenya: Government officials coercing refugees back to war-torn Somalia Just two weeks before the deadline given to close the Dadaab refugee camp, Kenyan government officials are deliberately coercing refugees to return to Somalia, where they risk being injured or killed in the ongoing armed conflict, Amnesty International said in a report released today. The government announced in May that it would close the world’s largest refugee camp, which is home to more than 280,000 mostly Somali refugees, citing security, economic and environmental concerns, in addition to lack of support by the international community. Since then, government officials have made statements…
November 14, 2016
Press Release
Pakistan: Deportation of iconic National Geographic Afghan girl is a grave injustice
Reaction to Pakistan's decision to deport Sharbat Gula, the iconic 'Afghan girl' whose striking portrait adorned a 1985 cover of National Geographic magazine
November 4, 2016
Press Release
Kenyan court to hear petition against closure of world’s largest refugee camp
The High Court in Kenya will hear a petition on Monday filed by two civil society organizations challenging the government’s decision to close down the world’s largest refugee camp in Dadaab and disband the Department of Refugee Affairs (DRA).
November 4, 2016
Press Release
Kenya: Deportation of South Sudanese opposition spokesperson a chilling assault on refugee rights
The Kenyan government’s deportation of James Gatdet Dak, the spokesperson of South Sudan opposition leader Riek Machar, despite the fact that he is a recognized refugee, is a brazen and dangerous attack on refugee rights, said Amnesty International. He was forced onto a flight on Thursday afternoon and flown to South Sudan’s capital Juba. “Gatdet’s deportation is Kenya’s latest attack on refugees’ right to safety and it places Gatdet at grave risk of torture and other ill-treatment,” said Sarah Jackson, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes. Gatdet was arrested by Kenyan authorities at…
November 4, 2016
Report
Hotspot Italy: How EU’s flagship approach leads to violations of refugee and migrant rights
Italy: Beatings and unlawful expulsions amid EU push to get tough on refugees and migrants The European Union’s pressure on Italy to “get tough” on refugees and migrants has led to unlawful expulsions and ill-treatment which in some cases may amount to torture, a new report from Amnesty International revealed today. Beatings, electric shocks and sexual humiliation are among the numerous allegations of abuse documented in Hotspot Italy: How EU’s flagship approach leads to violations of refugee and migrant rights. The report demonstrates how the EU-sponsored ‘hotspot approach’ for processing refugees and migrants at the point of arrival is not…
November 1, 2016
Press Release
Greece: Evidence points to illegal forced returns of Syrian refugees to Turkey
· “They lied to us”: testimony shows refugees were told they were going to Athens · Asylum claims and procedural guarantees ignored · EU border agency officers involved Greece has illegally returned at least eight Syrian refugees to Turkey without respecting procedural guarantees or considering their asylum claims, documentation and testimonies obtained by Amnesty International reveal. The Syrians, including four children under the age of five, were rescued in Greek waters when their boat travelling from Turkey to Italy encountered problems and they were taken to the island of Milos on October 9. All eight registered their intention to claim…
October 28, 2016
Press Release
Greece: Reported illegal returns of Syrian refugees to Turkey ‘dangerous’
Greece’s return of 10 Syrian refugees to Turkey, reportedly without considering their asylum claims, is a dangerous move that shows a callous disregard for their safety, Amnesty International said. According to information received by Amnesty International, the group included six adults including two parents who were travelling with their four children aged between one and six. The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said their claims to asylum were not considered, which would make the returns illegal. “If these refugees were sent to Turkey without due consideration of their asylum claim, this is undoubtedly a case of refoulement. This is a…
October 21, 2016
Press Release
Transfer of Guantánamo Detainee Slahi Long Overdue
Mohamedou Ould Slahi, who has been held in the Guantanamo detention camp without charge or trial since 2002, has been transferred back to his home country of Mauritania. After voluntarily submitting himself for questioning in his home country in 2001, he was detained in Jordan and the Bagram prison in Afghanistan before being sent to Guantanamo. There is compelling evidence that he was subjected to torture and other ill-treatment during his detention.
October 17, 2016
Report
Australia’s regime of cruelty has turned Nauru into an open-air prison
The Australian government is subjecting refugees and asylum seekers to an elaborate and cruel system of abuse – brazenly flouting international law – just to keep them away from its shores, a new Amnesty International report says today. Based on months of research, including interviews with more than 100 people in Nauru and Australia, Amnesty International’s report ‘Island of Despair’ exposes the government of Australia’s policy of “processing” refugees and asylum-seekers on Nauru for what it is: a deliberate and systematic regime of neglect and cruelty. “On Nauru, the Australian government runs an open-air prison designed to inflict as much…
October 14, 2016
Report
Home Sweet Home? Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador’s role in a deepening refugee crisis
Central America turns its back on hundreds of thousands fleeing ‘war-like’ violence Governments in Central America are fuelling a deepening refugee crisis by failing to tackle rampant violence and sky-high homicide rates in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras which are forcing hundreds of thousands to flee, Amnesty International said in a new report today. Home Sweet Home? Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador’s role in a deepening refugee crisis explores how the three countries are failing to protect people from violence, and also failing to set up a comprehensive protection plan for deportees forced by countries such as Mexico and the USA…
October 13, 2016
Press Release
Amnesty International USA Launches Campaign on President Obama’s Last 100 Days
Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) is launching a new campaign calling on President Obama to prioritize human rights during his last 100 days in office by accomplishing three outstanding tasks before he leaves office: close the prison at Guantánamo Bay, stop selling arms to countries that use them to commit war crimes and human rights violations, and grant protection to those fleeing violence in Central America. Amnesty International USA has sent a letter to the president to formally call on him to achieve these goals and is encouraging its 1.2 million supporters in the U.S. to join the campaign by signing…
October 11, 2016
Press Release
Jordan: Aid deliveries to refugees trapped in desert must be followed by long-term solution
Reports about the resumption of humanitarian aid to 75,000 refugees stranded in a remote, arid area along the Jordanian-Syrian border called “the berm” are a long-awaited glimmer of hope that should be followed by a sustainable, long-term solution, Amnesty International said today.
October 10, 2016